Ryan Thomas, the sales VP of Elastic, Americas, shares his insights on effective leadership, team motivation, and driving business growth. He emphasizes the importance of inspiring and motivating teams, aligning individual success with the company’s vision, and making data-driven decisions. Ryan also discusses the challenges of leading sales teams in a complex and fast-paced industry and provides valuable advice for sales leaders.
“It’s not about just selling them technology. It’s about selling them a solution that they know they’re going to be able to acquire tech, get it implemented, and drive change in their business quickly.” – Ryan Thomas
Key Takeaways:
- More than just focusing on strategy alone is needed; leaders must prioritize team motivation and clarity around individual success.
- Understanding the “why” behind each employee’s role and connecting it to the company’s vision is crucial for team engagement.
- Soft skills like empathy and knowing when to let go of underperforming employees are essential for first-line leaders.
- Second-line leaders must develop business acumen and make strategic decisions to optimize resources and drive desired outcomes.
- Failing fast and learning from mistakes shows leadership maturity and fosters a culture of growth and innovation.
The interactive podbook below contains videos, audio, articles, summaries, transcripts, and YouTube shorts from this podcast episode.
Full Episode Article:
Title: “Leading Transformation in a Fast-Paced World”
Byline: By sales leadership and coaching experts Colleen Stanley and Steven Rosen with their guest speaker Ryan Thomas, sales VP of Elastic, Americas.
Introduction
In a recent Sales Leadership Awakening Podcast episode, insights were shared on effective leadership and bridging the knowing and doing gap. With over 29 years of experience in technology sales, Ryan Thomas, sales VP of Elastic, Americas, emphasized the importance of leadership maturity in driving success, noting that even the best strategies would fail without a motivated and inspired team.
Leadership Maturity: Moving Beyond Transactional Leadership
The significance of empathy in leadership, particularly in the sales profession, was highlighted, acknowledging the everyday challenges of rejection. The importance of understanding the toll these challenges can take on individuals and knowing when to support and guide them was emphasized. However, the need to recognize when employees are not invested in their success and make the difficult decision to let them go was also stressed.
The Power of Clarity and Purpose
The importance of clarity and purpose in driving individual and team success was emphasized. One of the key lessons learned throughout the speaker’s career was the need to clearly define what individuals and teams are accountable for and ensure they understand the why behind their goals. By connecting each employee’s role to the overall vision and success of the company, leaders can inspire and motivate their teams to achieve greatness.
To achieve this, the need for leaders to communicate effectively and tailor their messages to each individual or team was highlighted. The importance of finding the “why” that resonates with each employee and connecting their role to the outcomes the company strives to achieve was stressed.
Failing Fast: Embracing Mistakes for Growth
The concept of failing fast was introduced as a crucial aspect of leadership maturity. Making mistakes was emphasized as a natural part of the job, and leaders were encouraged to create a safe environment where employees feel comfortable taking risks and learning from their failures. Leaders and their teams can grow and innovate by acknowledging and learning from mistakes.
Recognizing when a decision or strategy is not working and being willing to change course was also highlighted. Being honest about what is not working and making the necessary adjustments to drive success requires a mindset of continuous improvement and a willingness to adapt to changing market conditions and customer needs.
Conclusion
Ryan Thomas, sales VP of Elastic, Americas, imparted valuable insights on effective leadership and closing the gap between knowledge and action. He underscored the significance of leadership maturity, empathy, and the capacity to inspire and motivate a team; by focusing on clarity, purpose, and understanding the “why” behind individual and team goals, leaders can propel success and cultivate a culture of continuous improvement. Moreover, embracing failure and extracting lessons from mistakes is a cornerstone for growth and innovation. By nurturing a safe environment where employees feel at ease taking risks, leaders can empower their teams to fail fast, ultimately paving the way for more tremendous success.
